Story ID: 
NTSB Meeting To Address Helo EMS Safety
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Due to a high number of fatal aeromedical accidents over the past year, the NTSB yesterday announced it will hold a public hearing on the safety of helicop
Word Count: 177
Due to a high number of fatal aeromedical accidents over the past year, the NTSB yesterday announced it will hold a public hearing on the safety of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations. The three-day hearing will begin on February 3 at the NTSB’s headquarters in  Washington, D.C. “We have seen an alarming rise in the numbers of EMS  accidents and the Safety Board believes some of these  accidents could have been prevented if our recommendations  were implemented,” said NTSB member and hearing chairman Robert Sumwalt. “This hearing will be extremely important  because it can provide an opportunity to learn more about  the industry so that possibly we can make further  recommendations that can prevent these accidents and save  lives.” The Safety Board issued a special investigation report on EMS  operations in January 2006, but the accident record of late suggests that operators have not heeded many of the recommendations. Over the past 11 months the Safety Board has investigated  nine fatal EMS accidents with 35 fatalities, and this year  alone there have been seven fatal accidents with 28 fatalities.